Philmont Photo Archive now includes every attendee since 1976

Philmont’s digital photo archive now stretches back to the year the United States celebrated its bicentennial, Steve Jobs founded Apple Computer and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Yes, the Philmont Photo Archive now includes every group photo from 1976 to present day.

Philmont Scout Ranch is the BSA’s hiking high-adventure base in New Mexico, and its photo archive includes official crew and group photos of cavalcades, traditional crew expeditions, individual treks, Philmont Training Center courses and Philmont staffers.

This summer, archivists added five more years — 1976 to 1980 — to the collection. You can learn more about the Philmont Photo Archive here.

How much does it cost?

Viewing watermarked photos in the Philmont Photo Archive is free. Buying an 8-by-10-inch print costs you $10 for the first one and $7 for additional copies of the same photo.

Prefer it digitally? The 2,400-by-3,000-pixel image is available for $15.

What if I attended in 2016?

Those photos will be added by Sept. 1, 2016. Plus, each participant departs Philmont with a printed 8-by-10 photo from the expedition they just completed.

What if I attended between 1965 and 1975?

Your photo will show up in the next year or two. Philmont staffers scan about five summers’ worth of photos each year, working backward in time.

What if I attended before 1965?

If you attended before 1965, you’ll need to scour your personal archives for Philmont photos. Philmont began saving photo negatives in 1965.


About Bryan Wendell 3281 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.